Neapolitan seller of watermelons 1823

Saverio della Gatta made this watercolor image of a Neapolitan seller of watermelons sometime around the turn of the 19th century. It's an unidealized scene of street commerce in the Kingdom of Naples, which gives us insight into the everyday life of the working class. We see a bustling scene with various figures engaged in the purchase and consumption of watermelon. Note the performative aspect of the watermelon seller holding up slices, signaling freshness and abundance. Della Gatta's painting exists within a tradition of topographical and genre scenes produced for foreign visitors, catering to their curiosity about local customs. Naples, at the time, was a popular destination for Grand Tourists, and images like these were often purchased as souvenirs. Such images contributed to the construction of Naples as an exotic, picturesque location. To fully understand this work, one might research the history of street vending in Naples, the role of tourism in shaping artistic production, and the visual tropes used to represent Neapolitan culture.